


Sunset Falcons: Reunion Before Dawn

by Sushion



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Ferdinand is now Ferdie, Gen, Mentioned Edelgard von Hresvelg, Silver Snow Route, Trans Female Character, Trans Ferdinand von Aegir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:55:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23862655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sushion/pseuds/Sushion
Summary: After a heartbreaking reunion with her former student, Edelgard, Byleth reunites with another student who comes out and sees her. A Byleth and Ferdie fic which takes place immediately after Edelgard and Byleth reunite in Silver Snow.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir & My Unit | Byleth
Kudos: 16





	Sunset Falcons: Reunion Before Dawn

"Even though our swords may cross as they do now, there's no denying that our chosen paths never will. Goodbye, my teacher. When next we meet, one of us will breathe their last."

And with that, her former student sheathed her blade, heading back down the steps without uttering another word.

Byleth stood there alone in the Goddess Tower, looking down at her sword as she felt a pain in her heart. Shortly after, she heard footsteps coming back up the steps. Was it Edelgard? She thought that her student would have left by now. Perhaps she changed her mind and was going to continue fighting her again. Byleth didn't want to face off with her student for the second time in one night, but she readied her sword just in case worst came to worst.

The person reached the final steps to the tower, gasping as they noticed her. The moonlight of the night barely shone on them, revealing only to her their sunset-colored hair.

"Well, if there's one thing I've done right all these years, it's being here today." The person stepped into the moonlight, revealing the small smile on their lips and their warm eyes that also shined like the sun.

"Ferdinand," Byleth said as a smile formed on her own face as she lowered her blade.

"Forgive me, but it's Ferdie now," he said, shaking his hand left and right. "Ferdinand is no longer a name that fits me. I guess I can't go around saying 'I am Ferdinand Von Aegir' anymore, can I?" Ferdie laughed a small breath before he lowered his head with a shake. "I'll have to thank Dorothea later for the new name."

"Sorry, Ferdie," she corrected herself.

"Do not worry, professor," Ferdie said with a laugh and a smile. "I know it's been a long time, these things happen. Five whole years, has it not? What have you been doing this entire time?" Ferdie stepped closer to her, and she caught a glimpse of the worry in his eyes. "I was looking for you, you know. I've been all around Faerghus, The Empire and the Alliance, all in hope that you were still alive. What exactly happened to you? The Knights of Seiros said you went missing after the battle, and we never found your body, either."

"I was sleeping," she answered honestly.

"Really?" Ferdie said as he inched his head closer to her in shock. "For that long? Were you in a coma?"

She nodded. "I think so."

"I see," Ferdie said as he put a hand on his head. "Well, it's not that unusual, considering it's you who was the one to fall asleep. There was that time where your hair changed color suddenly, after all. The strangest things in life always seem to happen when you're around, don't they?" Ferdie turned his head away from her, staring into Fodlan's night sky.

"Listen, you look like you could get something to eat. I've brought some food for myself, but we could share it if you'd like." Ferdie put down a small plate of chicken, which seemed to have been made no more than an hour or two ago. It wasn't much right now, but it was delicious in a pinch. The two of them crossed their legs on the floor of the Goddess Tower, staring at one another while they shared their meal.

"You looked like you haven't aged a day, you know?" Ferdie said. "Did you even age at all? Outside of some dirt here and there, you look exactly the same as you did before. Perhaps you are blessed with eternal youth. If you are, then perhaps you can tell me your secrets?" he joked, smiling at her.

"I know I haven't. I don't know why though," she said. The two continued to eat, but she couldn't help but look at how nervous Ferdie was getting.

"...So, you have noticed there's something different with me, right?" Ferdie asked with a hint of tension in his voice.

"You're right," she said, taking a closer look at his features. "Your hair is longer, and you're… shorter?" She blinked, noticing the height loss. "And your face is softer, too." She poked his cheeks, letting out a small gasp as she wasn't prepared for how soft it'd be. It was like a pillow, his face was never this soft five years ago.

"That tickles, Professor!" Ferdie said, letting out a giggle. He turned away from her, playing with his hair in embarrassment.

"Your voice is much lighter, even!" And the way he spoke was different, less formal than it used to be. His clothes were different too. No longer was he wearing the male student's officer academy outfit. Instead, he wore a red, elegant…

Wait, he now had… Were those? "Ferdie, do you have brea—"

"Perhaps I should get this out of the way," Ferdie said quickly as he cut her off. "I guess if I wanted to hide it, then I didn't do a very good job at it. _But to be honest, I was hoping you wouldn't mind it, really,_ " Ferdie said, trailing off quietly at the end. Ferdie seemed to be in a mix of anxiousness and fear, and wasn't acting like he normally did.

"Mind what?" she asked, confused.

Ferdie curled a finger around his lips, huffing out a large sigh as he looked at her. "You see, I'm not a guy anymore, I'm a girl."

"You are?" Byleth blinked twice, staring back at Ferdie.

"Err, yes," she said, making an exaggerated, very nervous and awkward shrug. She looked back at her with fear in her eyes as she waited for a reaction.

"Alright, that's great." She smiled at Ferdie, making her smile back as Ferdie immediately lowered her guard, all her worries washing away.

"Thank you for taking it so well. _I know my father didn't…_ " Ferdie said, letting out another big sigh. "You see, I was actually going to tell you just after I graduated. But you know how that story went. The other girls, as well as Linhardt, helped me figure it out, but it was actually you who played a large part in getting me to even realize it might've been a possibility in the first place. You were the first one who made me rethink myself. So, thank you, Professor." She bowed while still crossing her legs, the smile on her face growing wider than she'd ever seen.

"Of course, Ferdie."

"I mean it, Professor. Thank you," Ferdie leaned in close to her, giving her a warm hug and a smile. "Do you know what's happened in the last five years?" she asked as she pulled away, splitting the last piece of chicken in half for her as she ate the other half.

"Not at all, no," she replied, shaking her head.

Ferdie looked back to her, nodding as she swallowed. "Then let me explain. After the battle where we lost you, Edelgard's army single handedly destroyed the monastery. It's been in ruins ever since. And the Knights of Seiros have abandoned this place the entire time, too. They've been spending all their time searching for the whereabouts of Lady Rhea. That means nobody else but us should be here."

 _No one except Edelgard, it seemed._ "Why have you come here?" she asked him.

"Surely you haven't forgotten, Professor?" Ferdie said, her smile widening again. "Today's the day of our class reunion. I know I wasn't the one who came up with it, but it still meant a lot to me. A small part of me really wished you were still alive, and so I came here in hopes I'd get lucky and you'd be here. And I was right!" She bounced her knees up and down excitedly, she seemed a lot more bubblier than five years ago. "Professor, I'm so glad you've returned. I really didn't know what to do. I tried my best to help my classmates wherever I can, but everything keeps falling apart. We keep having failure after failure. I was hoping you'd be here so that maybe we could turn things around."

"Failures? What's happening to you all?"

"A lot. The only ones who I know that are anything that could be considered doing well are myself, Caspar, Petra, Flayn and, surprisingly, Bernie. Everyone should actually be coming soon, well, almost everyone. I know it's the dead of night, but have you by any chance seen anyone else arrive, by the way?

"I did, it was Edelgard," she said, frowning at saying her student and friend's name.

Ferdie jolted back in shock. "Edelgard? She came here too?"

She looked down at their plate. "Only for a moment. She left immediately after."

Ferdie looked down at their plate as well, sinking her head in defeat. "Then once again, it looks like Edelgard beat me to the punch. Though it'd be better to say that she's never stopped beating me." She got off the ground, walking over to the large window of the Goddess Tower to stare at the night sky once more. Byleth got up after her as they both looked outwards, leaning their backs on the sides of the window.

"I miss those days professor," Ferdie said, shedding a tear as she stared longingly at the world beyond. "Those days when the nine of us were still together, when we were still friends. Even if we were bickering and arguing half the time, I still cherished both Hubert and Edelgard." Ferdie leaned all the way out the window, wrapping only one arm around it as she stared off in the direction of Enbarr.

"Ferdie!" Byleth said, securing her arm to make sure she wouldn't fall.

"I'll be fine, Professor. I just wanted to get a closer look at my former home. As for what's Edelgard doing, she's had victory after victory in all three countries. She already took control of a good portion of the Alliance and the Kingdom. It's only a matter of time before she reunifies the Empire once again." Ferdie pulled herself back inside, pointing to something down below.

"Look, over there." she said. Byleth looked where she was pointing to barely make the shape of six other students. Caspar, Linhardt, Bernie, Dorothea, Petra, and Flayn. The only ones who were missing were Hubert and, of course, Edelgard.

Ferdie offered Byleth her hand. "The others are coming. Come on Professor, you would like to see them, would you not?"

Byleth nodded, taking her hand for herself as they both walked down the steps together.


End file.
